Flashback: Obama’s Berlin Speech

Apr 9, 2009

RUSH: I want to go back to Obama’s Berlin speech where he addressed the world as a ‘citizen of the world,’ and I want you to realize the pattern — and, frankly, show you how badly I misread the public mood or misunderstood the power of cult followers. I thought after this speech and as wide coverage as it got, because this speech in Berlin ripped this country to shreds in no uncertain words, ‘There’s no way this guy is gonna get elected. We have not gotten to the point, have we,’ I said, ‘where you go overseas, rip your own country, and get elected president?’ But I’m wrong. I can also remember 20 years ago if Fidel Castro had endorsed you and you were a political candidate — or a sitting elected official and Fidel Castro said he wanted to do whatever he could to help you — you were finished. It was the kiss of death. Not today. Fidel Castro can say he wants Obama to succeed. He can ask the Congressional Black Caucus what he can do to help, and this is regarded as a sign of progress. So let’s go back in time, shall we, to our archives. Here’s audio sound bite one of Barack Obama in July 2008 — less than a year ago, folks — in Berlin.

OBAMA 2008: I come to Berlin as so many of my countrymen have come before; although tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen — a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world. (cheers and applause) I know that I don’t look like the Americans who’ve previously spoken in this great city.

RUSH: Yay! Right on, right on, right on. Once again, this illustrating that it was the Democrat Party introducing race throughout the presidential campaign. ‘I don’t look like… I don’t look like the Americans who have previously spoken in this great city,’ meaning, ‘I’m not the same old racist thug pigs that have come over here and spoken to you in the past.’ Here is the next one. This is Obama telling the world to look at Berlin as an example of how the world came together as one.

OBAMA 2008: Look at Berlin, where Germans and Americans learned to work together and trust each other less than three years after facing each other on the field of battle. (snip) Look at Berlin, where the bullet holes in the buildings and the somber stones and pillars near the Brandenburg Gate insist that we never forget our common humanity. People of the world — look at Berlin, where a wall came down, a continent came together, and history proved that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one. (applause)

RUSH: Right on, right on, right on, right on. It’s a total misrepresentation of truth. The world did not ‘come together as one’ after World War II, even. (snorts) World War II gave us East Germany, communist East Germany. It gave us the Soviet Bloc, gave us the Soviet Union. The world coming together had nothing to do with the Berlin Wall falling. Two countries made that happen: the United States and Great Britain. But, of course, in the modern era it’s Gorbachev that made it happen. Gorbachev! Mikhail Gorbachev, perestroika and glasnost, brought it about. World didn’t come together. The world could not become united against communism. Most of it is communist or socialist! The world didn’t come together to bring down the Berlin Wall. If anything, the world came together to oppose the Berlin Wall coming down. But it didn’t stop Ronald Reagan. Here’s the next one.

OBAMA 2008: The fall of the Berlin Wall brought new hope. But that very closeness has given rise to new dangers — dangers that cannot be contained within the borders of a country or by the distance of an ocean. Think about it: The terrorists of September 11th plotted in Hamburg and trained in Kandahar and Karachi before killing thousands from all over the globe on American soil. As we speak, cars in Boston and factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps in the Arctic, shrinking coastlines in the Atlantic, and bringing drought to farms from Kansas to Kenya.

RUSH: ‘[C]ars in Boston and factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps, shrinking coastlines in the Atlantic, bringing drought to farms from Kansas to Kenya,’ all the while his half-brother lived in a nine-square-foot hut. For all we know, he still does live in a nine-square-foot hut. That’s probably the fault of automobiles in Florida. One more before we go to the break…

OBAMA 2008: Will we acknowledge — Will we acknowledge that there is no more powerful example than the one each of our nations projects to the world? Will we reject torture and stand for the rule of law? Will we — Will we — Will we welcome immigrants from different lands, and shun discrimination against those who don’t look like us or worship like we do, and keep the promise of equality and opportunity for all of our people? (applause) People of Berlin — people of the world — this is our moment. This is our time.

RUSH: ‘[N]o more powerful example than the one each of our nations projects to the world? Will we reject torture and stand for the rule of law.’ That’s ripping the United States of America. He’s being critical of his own country at every opportunity. The one thing that’s missing, purposely so — and it’s missing because it cannot possibly be there with this bunch — is the notion, the concept of American exceptionalism. Now, there’s no question America is exceptional. Not because we’re any better or different as human beings. Not because our DNA has some secret code in it that makes us better people. That’s not it. But there is the concept of American exceptionalism, and this guy hates it. This guy doesn’t like it, doesn’t agree with it, thinks the only thing we’re exceptional about is being bullies. We’re too big. We’re thieves. We steal the world’s resources. We need to be cut down to size! There’s more to this, but there’s a pattern here, and the reason I wanted to play the Berlin speech, ’cause it’s really no different than the speeches he made at the G20. Rip America, blame America. America has to change. Yes, it’s America’s fault, financial crisis. The world must come together! He doesn’t look at himself as president. He’s leader of the world. All this is about him. It’s not about representing the interests of the United States wherever he goes.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: One more sound bite from our archives. President Obama in Berlin on July 24th, last summer.

OBAMA: People of Berlin — people of the world — this is our moment. This is our time. I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we’ve struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We’ve made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.

RUSH: So there you have it, and this is the essence of Barack Obama, to go around the world, apologize for America, admit what he thinks are the imperfections, to disown and ignore the entire concept of American exceptionalism. Somebody with this view of America has been elected president is still something I have trouble believing. I don’t know that I’ve actually gotten over this. I mean, I’m an adult, and it is what it is, and you have to deal with it. We’ve actually elected somebody with this attitude about his own country to be president. I’m not gonna bother analyzing the voters. They’re cult followers; they don’t care what he says; it’s how he says it, blah, blah, blah, blah. There’s no suitable explanation that’s good.

There’s no explanation that will excuse this. Even if you want to say, ‘Rush, the people were fooled.’ That’s not good. ‘Rush, the people are basically ignorant.’ That’s not good. ‘Rush, it’s the education system.’ That’s not good. There’s no good explanation. ‘Rush, he’s African-American.’ That’s not good. That’s not why we elect or promote people. ‘Well, Rush, but he’s so smart.’ That’s not good, ’cause he’s not. We gotta redefine smart. ‘Well, Rush, but, you know, he’s so eloquent, he’s so elegant, he speaks so well.’ Listen to what he says. ‘Sorry, Rush, you’re asking too much of people. They don’t listen to what people say. It is the image that is cast.’ That’s not good. ‘But, Rush, he was running against McCain.’ (pregnant pause) That one might work, but I mean that one’s even iffy.